cazalea
[Seiko Moderator]
20750
Relief from the Heat
Fog. Cool, misty, heavy fog. What a great thing to see outside this morning after several weeks of unbroken heat wave! Abandoning our plans to go to an inland lake, we headed instead to the middle of Mission Bay.
Our first mammal was sighted before we opened the car doors (quietly), a feral cat living in the rocks by the water.
Close to us (and much larger than) the cat, was this Cormorant who with a couple dozen pals became the stars of today. I've seen them many times but they're not too friendly, and usually it has been at a great distance.
Here you can see his blue-green back (an idea for a Grand Seiko limited edition dial?), powerful tail feathers, long neck,
sharp beak, long wings, etc. Cormorants are fast fliers, incredible divers, crazy swimmers (underwater) and unparalleled fishermen.
I checked the time, day of the week, date on my 7-hand Seiko Credor, and noticed my morning activities had already wound it to maximum power reserve.
My wife swears she counted 19 cormorants in this tree. I'm holding out for 15. How many can you see?
We had to move back because this runner came by, and we saw a truck stopped at the crest of the bridge (BAD PLACE TO STOP) and a guy in the air.
We guessed that something shifted inside when he went up the transition from pavement to bridge and he couldn't wait to see what it was, which gave me an excuse to take a photo.
That's my story and I am sticking with it.
Continuing over the bridge and down to solid ground, we found a bunch of underbrush and a massive spider web.
The fog and diffused light helped me capture the web.
A bird above us was preening his feathers and eyed me upside down. Creepy!
A bunch more cormorants and look at the length of the outstretched wing.
They were coming and going, non-stop.
How could I NOT take this shot? Birds on wire, sun breaking through fog, bird soaring over glassy water, etc.
A heron soared right into the tree above me. What a crazy ability - to just stand up and GO into the air or fly and stop in the middle of the air, on a treetop.
He eyeballed us for a moment, then flew away.
We watched the cormorants a bit more, and noticed that NOT EVERY LANDING is a good landing. This guy aimed for the bottom two wires, but misjudged somehow, flipped over and fell.
He recovered 10 feet lower, and rapidly flew off as if to say "I meant to do that" and save face.
After the heron flew away, my wife shared the photo she took!
This boat that was a tiny spec in the distance of my "perfect" shot.
Back on dry land, there was a giant moth racing back and forth over the natal plum
bushes. At first I thought it might be a hummingbird, but finally got a
glimpse and saw it was a moth. He never settled, sorry.
In the bushes, another ugly spider was waiting for breakfast.
In the bushes, another ugly spider was waiting for breakfast.
While I, with my eyes on the ground scanning for wildlife, saw a mushroom growth instead.
Crossing under the bridge spans, we headed back towards the car. The day was brightening, hot and humid.
Looking at this pelican makes my neck hurt.
Crossing back over the bridge, I avoided focusing on runners and aimed at the logjam of paddlers (and I got two runners for free in the distance).
Not shown here was the near-miss when these two boats very nearly impaled each other. Oops! Coxswain should be looking where you are going!
Note: If you sell women's sporting attire, this is the place to do some market research...
The Sun is now up, beating on us, it's time to make like a pelican, and soar out of here.
Cazalea
BONUS Cormorants underwater (not my film)
Relief from the Heat
Fog. Cool, misty, heavy fog. What a great thing to see outside this morning after several weeks of unbroken heat wave! Abandoning our plans to go to an inland lake, we headed instead to the middle of Mission Bay. Our first mammal was sighted before we ope...
